


Lance/Reader Oneshots

by MyDearestReaderFanfics



Series: Voltron/Reader Oneshots [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2020-07-27 19:50:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20051602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyDearestReaderFanfics/pseuds/MyDearestReaderFanfics
Summary: A series of Lance/Reader oneshots off of my tumblr. Each chapter will have the trope in the chapter summary.





	1. Catch a Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younger sibling of Shiro, best friend of Keith, and overall lonely person. Reader finds themselves head over heels for Lance and puts a plan in action to catch their crush. Pining w/ happy ending.

Your older brother was Takashi Shirogane, known to family and friends as Shiro. And your best friend was Keith Kogane. It had been that way for as long as you could remember. For the most part, you couldn’t ask for better brotherly best friends. However, sometimes being in the shadow of them was… well, it was lonely. Shiro was the shining star of the Garrison and Keith was the resident bad boy™. So between the both of them, people were less interested in you. They were still nice but nice in the way you smile and wave to the person who waits every day at the same bus stop as you.

But then there was Lance. The most charming person you’d ever met in your entire life. And he was talking to you, acting like he actually cared about who you were instead of who your brother and best friend were. (Although truth be told, he did have some kind of personal issue with Keith). Needless to say, you had caught feelings, hardcore. Every dazzling smile sent your way left your pulse racing and your cheeks flushing. It wasn’t long until Keith noticed you were acting differently and confronted you about it. From there it didn’t take much arm-twisting until you told him.

“Keith, I really like him. Like a lot.” “Okay?” “No, I mean like romantically.” “Oh.” “I think he might like me back? I’m not sure though,” You bit at your thumbnail in anxious thought, “I think I’ve caught him staring at me throughout class, but I can’t be sure. Would you mind keeping an eye on him to see if he looks at me in class?” Keith blinked in confusion, seemingly not understanding why Lance glancing at you in class was a sign of mutual attraction. Regardless, he was willing to help. All that was left was to wait for your next lecture class at the Garrison.

Fortunately for you, your next lecture was early the following day. Shiro finally had to tell you to stop pestering Keith over “your agreement”. He had been confused as to what the agreement was, but you refused to leak your secret to anyone else. As you had put it, one person is already too many people to know! With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Shiro had left for his own class, leaving you and Keith to head to yours. You had strategically sat Keith and yourself directly across from Lance’s regular seat. The perfect place for him to see you and for Keith to see him seeing you. It should be, you had been up basically all night planning it out.

It was five minutes till class began and Lance still hadn’t shown up. You were beginning to become crestfallen when he finally strode in, laughing with his friends. It was music to your ears. He sent you a wave and a wink and you could’ve sworn you melted in a puddle right there and went to heaven. When you finally timidly waved back, he had already turned away from you. As class began, your once Lance filled brain shifted into aerodynamics. What can you say, you were a true honor student at heart. It wasn’t until Keith tapped your shoulder and gestured his head over to where the pilot of your dreams sat that you even noticed. “Hmm? Oh. Oh!” You quickly stole a peek at Lance, delighted to find that he was staring dreamily in your direction, when he noticed you looking a bright blush crossed over his features and he quickly looked away. Your heart swelled. Could it be possible that your long-time crush actually liked you back? You made a quick scan of the area around you, double-checking that it had in fact been you that he had been looking at. Unless Lance had a thing for the teacher’s aid, you felt safe to assume it was in fact you. The rest of the class lecture went in one ear and came out the other as you and Lance stole glances at each other. You didn't even realize class was over until Keith nudged you with his elbow. “Ow! Keith, what the hell?” “Class is over, we’re the only people left here.” You did a quick scan of the room, quickly realizing he was right, in fact, it looked like even Lance had left. Your heart sank. Maybe if you hadn't been so focused on looking at Lance then you could've actually talked to him. You sigh in defeat. “I'm sorry, Keith. Let's just go, I guess…”

Just as you were walking out of the door, a hand grabbed your elbow causing you to successfully freak out for 2 seconds. When you saw who it was, you started freaking out again, albeit internally this time. “Heh, sorry I didn't mean to scare you.” It was Lance “dreamy-eyes” McClain. “It's okay, you just caught me off guard is all.” You blushed, realizing his hand was still resting on your arm. He did too and moved it, smiling sheepishly all the while. “Sorry. Oh, I'm, hey so I wanted to talk to you.” “You did?” “Yeah, so-” “I'm gonna go meet up with Shiro, call when you're done.” Keith had just interrupted what might have been the greatest moment in the history of greatest moments. You shot him a glare before turning back to Lance. “I am so sorry.” “No, no. It's okay.” You both fell into an awkward silence. Was he really not going to ask you anymore? Maybe you should speak up, make the first move like the self-confident person you were trying to be. Just ask him out. Say “hey, did you wanna go get lunch or see a movie or something?”. You tried your best to steel your nerves. “Can I kiss you?” The realization of what you asked hit you like a freight train and you gave a small eep. “I am so sorry. Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to say that. I-I, um….” He laughed, a blush of his own creeping up to his ears. Despite this, he sent you a wink and a blinding smile. “How could I say no to a cutie like you?” Oh no. This was it, you were going to die right here- wait what? Did he actually say yes? “Wh-what?” “Well, it'd be rude of me to say no.” He was looking less sure of himself and very much flustered. It was actually a pretty good look on him. “Oh, um, okay.” His hand moved to gently tuck a strand of hair behind your eye before gently cupping your jaw. Your heartbeat stuttered and your eyes flickered up to meet his. He was much closer than you remember; his night sky blue eyes glittering back at you. Your eyes fluttered shut as his nose bumped gently against yours. And then you were kissing. You’d heard people say it felt like fireworks, and while they aren’t wrong, this felt like so much more. You were floating on cloud nine. All too soon he pulled away, leaving the both of you breathless. “Wow.” The single, breathless word summed up the both of your feelings. He gave an airy laugh in response. “Wow, yourself. Did you, I mean- do you maybe wanna go get some lunch together?” “Absolutely.” As you walked side by side down the hall, he slipped his hand into yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. You had a feeling this was the start of a very beautiful relationship.


	2. Fondness at the Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance asks you out on a date to the state fair. Cute date events ensue. 100% pure unfiltered fluff.

Lance had burst into your apartment one afternoon, waving two slips of paper in his hand. He had pulled you close in a side hug before peppering your face in kisses. You giggled, trying to catch his lips with your own. “Lance, mi corazón, what’s got you so happy?” “Well, mi vida, you’ll never guess what I’ve got.” “What did you get?” He held up the hand with the slips of paper in it. Two tickets to the state fair. He grinned at you, melting your heart just as much as he did when he asked you out on your first date years ago. “So?” “That sounds great! Thank you so much.” You finally managed to press a kiss to his lips, smiling all the while.

That’s what led you to where you were now: the ticket booth to the fair. Lance was swinging you around in a little dance while you waited, making your heart soar (and making the lady behind you roll her eyes). “Lance, baby, we gotta stop dancing.” He pouted. “But why?” “Because we have to give them our tickets.” His mouth formed an ‘o’ and he let go of you long enough to give the ticket taker your tickets before pulling you through the gates.”Where to first, mi amor?” “Hmm, can we go to the petting zoo?” The words were barely out of your mouth when Lance wrapped his arm around your waist and began walking.

After getting temporarily lost (in hindsight you really should’ve grabbed a map) you found yourselves in a barn-shaped building. “Oh my goodness, look! It’s a baby pig!” You shook Lance by his shoulders, pausing long enough to point towards a tiny baby pig that was running about in the corner with his siblings. Nobody seemed to have noticed them yet meaning you got to hog the baby hogs. You kneeled down next to them, scooping the one the that had caught your eye up into your arms, cooing as he oinked. “Who’s the cutest little piggy, you are!” The other piglets had taken a liking to Lance, they’d taken to trying to climb into his lap. “Aww, they like you.” You snapped a picture of him, making note to post it later when you weren’t distracted by cute baby animals. After the piglets, you and Lance made your way to alpacas, ponies, goats, and sheep. Several of the animals had started following him, making you laugh. “Hehe, I think you have company.” “Wha-?” He turned only to come face to face with the alpaca. He hopped backward making you double over in laughter. “Hey, don’t laugh.” He walked over to you and the alpaca obediently followed, successfully causing you to laugh even harder. “Sorry, sorry. You just looked so startled.” He gave you a pouty look and you waved your hands apologetically. “It’s not my fault you looked cute. But maybe we have pet enough animals for now.” The alpaca tried to follow after, bothered that it couldn’t reach Lance. At least until some kid started petting it, effectively distracting it. A sign on the wall on the way out showed a picture of prize cows and the giant pumpkin weigh in. Lance looked at it curiously. “Sweetheart?" “Yes, honey?” He turned to you, stars in his eyes. “Can we go?” “Anything you want.” “Really? Yay!" He took your hand, intertwining your fingers and gently swinging your hands as you walked toward the contest winner’s displays.

You two had briefly looked at the cows, but you were both curious to see the giant pumpkin so you didn't stay too long. On the way to the giant pumpkin you saw the prize-winning flowers. “Hey, Lancey, if I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I would be walking through my garden forever.” “Sunflowers are yellow, dahlias are pink, my love, you are my missing link.” You blushed, kissing his cheek. “Aww, that was really sweet.” “It’s true, you know.” Best boyfriend ever, truly. “I love you.” “I love you too.” The flower arrangements soon gave way to produce. “We're almost to the pumpkin, come on.” It was glorious. It was the size of a small car and, according to the sign, weighed 1,388 lbs. “Do you wanna take a picture with it?” “You bet your fine ass I do.” Lance laughed, taking out his phone. You both posed in front of the pumpkin, faux shocked looks on your faces. Your stomach rumbled as you were taking a regular picture. “Huh? Guess I’m hungry.” He checked the time. “Me too, we’ve been here for a while.” “We passed some food trucks on the way here, some of them looked really good.” “Then lead the way.”

After a ridiculously long line, you and Lance sat down at a picnic table you’d been lucky enough to find unoccupied. “So what do you wanna do after this?” “Um, well there’s the carnival over there, but it’ll light up later, so maybe we should wait till then…” “We could play some games?” “Yeah-” “Come one, come all! The great Hira requests your presence! Do you want to win a rose for your sweetheart? Or perhaps you just love the thrill of winning a race? Either way, come join us in Tent C in ten minutes for a barrel of laughs and fun!” The promoter for the show continued on their way. “(Y/N), mi cielo, can we go?” You grinned at him. “Oh, I dunno.” “Don’t you wanna see me win you a rose?” He winked at you and you waved him off playfully. “Who says you’ll win?” “You don’t think I'll win?” “Oh, I don’t know, baby, we don’t even know what the race is.” You were barely containing your smile, teasing him was just too much fun. “I’ll prove it to you. I promise you’ll be leaving this fair with a rose.” “I guess we can go,” you giggled, “but I want to finish eating first.”

You grabbed a bag of cinnamon almonds before heading to Tent C. “Hello all! I am Hira and this is my show! I will need three volunteers from the audience.” Lance stood up along with a handful of other people. “Ah, this crowd is so enthusiastic, how wonderful!” She clapped her hands together. “My assistants will go out into the crowd and choose three of you.” The assistants wound through the crowds, stopping in front of standing attendees, one of which was Lance. His grin was brighter than any of the sunflowers you had seen earlier. The assistant led the three volunteers to the front where they stood on stage in front of Hira. “Fantastic! Now, my dear volunteers, you will be competing against each other to win your beloved a rose.” She explained how they were going to be going through an obstacle course. You and the other significant others cheered for your respective volunteer as they spun in circles, hula-hooped across the stage, riffled through a ball pit to find large foam puzzle pieces, hula-hooped back across the stage, and assemble the puzzle heart. Lance had started off in last, having gotten dizzy, but having hips to rival Shakira’s, he took the lead during hula-hooping. The race evened out at the ball pit. “Come on, mi corazón! You’ve got this!” Lance looked up at you briefly to blow you a kiss before resuming his search with renewed vigor. He and one of the other competitors had found all of their pieces. It was neck and neck, all they had to do was assemble the puzzle. You were on the edge of your seat. “It looks like we have a winner! What’s your name?” “Lance.” Hira held up his hand. “Lance is our winner! Good job to all of our competitors!” She handed him a rose and he took it, jogging back over to you. The crowd watched with admiration in their eyes. “Here you go, sweetheart. Just as promised.” You took the rose, smiling at it before setting it down and smooshing his face between your hands, pulling him into a kiss. “You are the sweetest. I am so lucky to have you.” “I’m the lucky one.” The crowd gave whistles and “awww’s”. “You all were a great audience, thank you all for coming! If you’d like to tip, I’ll have the assistants at each door. Thank you again!”

It was starting to get darker, but you still had a couple of minutes before the rides turned on their lights. “Hey, it’s a balloon pop. I used to be pretty good at those.” “Look there's a blue stuffed shark.” He pointed at the large prize. A look of determination settled on your face. “I’m gonna win that for you.” “But you have to pop three balloons with a green circle behind it.” “Easy peasy.” He laughed. “If you say so.” You paid for five darts. The first one popped a balloon in the corner. “Green.” “Yes! Only two more.” The next dart resulted in an orange circle. The one after that hit an empty space. You sighed. C’mon, was it too much to ask that you could win your boyfriend a comically large plush toy of his favorite animal? You carefully aimed at another corner balloon. _Pop!_ “Green.” One more. You threw the final dart and it hit a balloon in the bottom center. It was green! No way! “You can get three small prizes, one medium and one small, or one big.” “The big blue shark, please.” You hopped on the pads of your feet, excitement radiating from you. As soon as the shark was given to you, you shoved it at Lance. “For you~!” He grinned, pulling you into a hug, smooshing the shark between you two. “Thank you.” “Anything for you, honey.”

You played a few more games that were nowhere near as successful as the balloon pop. They were still loads of fun, though. The sun had finally gone down and the carnival lights had finally turned on. “Where to first, baby?” “That looks fun.” You pointed to the tilt-a-whirl ride. “Sounds good.” On the ride, you and Lance spun the wheel in the middle as fast as you possibly could. The momentum caused you to slam into Lance who then put a protective arm around your shoulder. “My hero.” He kept the wheel going with one hand, effectively keeping you close to him by keeping the cart spinning, not that you minded. After stumbling out of the ride, Lance pulled you over to the Haunted House. It was cheesy and the scares weren’t all that scary, but the excuse to snuggle up to Lance was still nice. Your dizziness had since passed and you both decided to get on the carousel. A slow paced ride was nice and it gave you both a chance to talk and decide where you wanted to go next. “The fair is gonna close soon, with the lines we probably will only have time for one more ride.” “How about the Ferris wheel?” The height of it made you a bit nervous, but it did sound like the perfect ending of the perfect day. “That’s a great idea.” The line moved as slow as you had expected, but you were up soon enough. You and Lance climbed into the small cart, sitting close like you had several times throughout the night. “Thank you for this. It’s been a lot of fun.” “I’m glad you’ve had fun. I thought it would be a little different from our usual dates. And to be honest, this ride is kinda the reason I wanted to bring you here.” “Oh?” “Yeah, I thought it would be the perfect spot.” “The perfect spot for what?” You were almost at the top, but funnily enough, you didn’t feel nervous at all. Lance stood up. “Honey, what are you doing?” The Ferris wheel stopped at the very top, just as Lance got on one knee. “(Y/N) (L/N), you are the light of my life. I knew you were the one since the day we met. You’ve made me a better person and I can’t imagine my life without you. I love your eyes, the way you laugh, the way you dance in the kitchen when you’re making breakfast, how you smile when you see a dog. I love everything about you. You are my world, mi vida. Would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” You could barely see Lance through your tears. You shook your head, yes, not caring whether or not you looked super eager, because you absolutely were. “Yes, oh my god, yes!” You wiped at your tears, holding out your hand so he could slip the ring on. Once he stood up, you lunged at him, smothering him in kisses and “I love you’s”. “I love you so much, oh my god.” Your eyes darted between the ring on your finger and your now fiancee. “I love you too. I love you so much.” You kissed him again, smiling all the while. Yeah, definitely the perfect day.


	3. In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and the reader have been best friends for longer than either can remember, but pining may just cause a rift in their friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've included a song for this anon, too. The song is the In Your Arms by the artist Kina Grannis. I hope you enjoy!

I shoved open my best friend’s bedroom door, not even bothering to knock, I hadn’t needed to in a long time. My cheeks felt like they were going to rip from how wide I was smiling. “Guess what?” 

Lance looked up from his laptop, a simple smile on his lips. “What?” 

I held up the plain white envelope I’d been hiding behind my back up until now. “This is what!” I was practically hopping in place. He set his laptop to the side, moving with grabby hands for it. “Uh, uh, uh! Move over.” He whined but flopped over allowing me enough room to plop down beside him. I slumped over so that I could rest snuggly against him before holding the envelope over both of our heads. “Take a look.” 

“It’s from KU!” Lance grabbed your arm, shaking it (and by extension you) with excitement. “Well, open it already.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You have no sense of suspense.” You really couldn’t blame him, he’d gotten his letter a week earlier and you had been just as pushy then. You flipped the envelope picking open the paper to reveal the letter. 

“Read it, read it, read it!” 

You smacked his prying hand away, snatching the letter before he had a chance to. You cleared your throat before speaking, mimicking a faux administrative voice. “Dear Ms. (Y/n) (L/n), it is with great pleasure- oh my god!” Lance beamed, grabbing the letter with one hand and hugging you tight with the other since you had taken to squealing into his chest. 

He kept up the ridiculous voice you had been using as he picked up where you left off. “...it is with great pleasure that we inform you that you have been accepted for admission to Kerberos University. Congratulations, (N/n).” He must have set the letter aside because after a moment you felt his other arm come to hold you tight. You relished in the feeling. You two had always been this affectionate, after all, you’d basically grown up together, but sometime around… say seventh grade, your feelings for him had gone from closest friend to friend you wanted to be much, much closer with. So lying here with your ear pressed firmly to his chest and his heart beating steadily with his arms wrapped securely around you was both everything you could possibly want and absolute torture at the same time. You wanted nothing more than to be able to lean up and kiss him, this was the perfect opportunity to, but you couldn't and so you forced yourself to be content with lying with him. And in the meantime, you didn’t have to force yourself to be happy to go to the same university as him. 

\- 

Realistically speaking the place you'd managed to rent was off-campus and you two would be sharing it with several other people, but your daydreams still took place with you and him in domestic fluff before heading to class and dipping in and out of the house throughout the day. Can you blame a girl? Even if your daydreams were a bit of a stretch from reality, you couldn’t say you were unhappy. Being able to wake up to a post-it note on your oval mirror from Lance wishing you good luck on a test or reminding you that you are fantastic. Cute little things that would send the butterflies in your tummy on a frenzy. The best thing about the shared house, though, was being able to have sleepovers with Lance basically every night. One of you was always falling asleep in the other's room, so much so that you basically shared two rooms- not that you were complaining. 

Like this morning, you woke up to the light shining on your face. You groaned quietly in protest before letting your eyes flutter open when the bright annoyance refused to leave. The stars on the ceiling were the first thing you saw. You admired them for a moment, they were the kind that was common in children’s bedrooms- the glowy kind. They weren’t glowing now, it was too bright for that. They were still pretty, though. The stars also meant that you were in Lance’s room, specifically in his bed. It wasn’t abnormal-- like you'd said before you could usually be found here with him and vice versa. You turned, peeking at him from the corner of your eye. He looked beautiful, his features soft and unburdened. It was enough to make your heart thud in your chest. His arm was draped over your midsection, not necessarily holding, but not, not holding you either. You let yourself relax in his presence. “Mmm, good morning, gorgeous.” You blushed, having not expected his flirting to begin this early in the day. It wasn’t real flirting, of course, as you’d reminded yourself countless times in the past, it was just his flamboyant personality. 

“Morning yourself. How’d you sleep?” He whined in response, burying his head on your shoulder. 

“I’d have slept better if I got to sleep in longer.” 

You laughed. “Lance, it’s almost noon.” Just as you had said, the digital alarm on his bedside ticked again, showing the actual time to be 11:48. 

“But it’s my day off.” He kept whining and you couldn’t help but chuckle again. It was your free day too and as nice as laying in bed with him was, you had no intention of wasting your one free day by not going out. 

“Tough, buddy. Come on-- up and at em’. I’m taking you to breakfast-- er, I guess technically lunch.” 

“Oh? Are you asking me on a date, (N/n)?” His voice lilted teasingly. You socked him in the shoulder, glad he wasn’t looking at you to see how flustered his comment had made you. 

“Tch, you wish. But seriously hurry up, I’m hungry.” 

\- 

Lance got up a little while later giving you the opportunity to get ready. The restaurant was a short walk away and was decently cheap (which was good as you planned on paying for both of us!) which was part of why Lance and you frequented this place. The other part was how good their food was. Many study nights had taken place at your humble little hidey-hole. 

You two were lucky, though, since it was your free day there would be no studying. Instead, you could sit and enjoy people watching, with good food and even better conversation. Lance's comment stuck with you though, and though you had been quick to write it off, a part of you deeply wished his joking had been true-- that maybe deep down he really had wanted this to be a date. God knows you did. By now the waitress knew your orders, a testament to your frequent visits here. "So what are your plans for the day?" 

"I thought you were calling the shots?" 

"Haha, you're a free man. You only came cause you wanted food, not because I dragged you here." You stuck out your tongue in a playfully childish manner. He returned the gesture before you both burst into laughter. 

"You have a point, but I'm serious. I want to spend my day off with you, so whatever you have planned, count me in." Your heart was making its attempt to pound out of my chest, the butterflies not far behind. You just hoped your blush wasn't as obvious as it felt. 

"Well, in that case, you get to spend your day off going with me to the thrift store." 

"Oh? Spontaneity or refurbishing?" 

"Yes." 

"I'm in." 

"You don't even know what we're doing." 

He beamed at you, "I don't have to. I like surprises and I know it'll be fun since I'm with you." He's too sweet, you could practically melt. 

"Alright, sweet! Then after we're done here, we can head over." 

\- 

Lance had attempted to protest when you paid for breakfast, but eventually, your stubbornness won out, as it generally did in your friendship. You drove your way to a little hole in the wall thrift store that you went to whenever you had a little extra cash on hand. It wasn't as popular as the Goodwill the next street over, but the two ladies who ran it were as sweet as can be and they always had secret gems that you were sure you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. You'd found an antique chair that, after a quick varnish and reupholstery, was quick to become your favorite chair. Or the time you'd found some beautiful curtains that, while they wouldn't quite fit your window, made for the perfect fabric for a dress. You didn't plan on going for any furniture, save for a nice full-length mirror that you'd been on the lookout for. No, while that had been your original plan for the day, you had completely changed course now that you were in the company of Lance. You wanted to have some fun. In the parking lot, you explained the game to Lance. 

“Okay, so the way it works is we both have a budget of ten dollars and we have to create a full outfit for each other. I figure since we’ve known each other since forever it should work better since we know each other's style. And don’t be an ass, since there’s somewhere I plan on going later with you in these outfits. What do you think?” 

He grinned at you, “Sounds fun.” 

You split up once you got into the shop. Occasionally you’d sneak glances at him and he’d stick his tongue out at you and tell you to stop peaking. You’d laugh and tell him you just wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to make you look ridiculous. Of course, you knew he wouldn’t, he had a better sense of style than most of your friend group combined. Thankfully you were familiar with this sense of style and had already taken to curating an outfit for him. You’d been here dozens of times so you knew just how to find the perfect deals and the most eye-catching pieces. So far you’d found a Nasa shirt that would make a nice contrast to a darker jean jacket you’d found. You wanted to find a nice pair of light jeans to balance it all, but so far you hadn’t had any luck. It was as you perused the aisles of clothes and did the mental math to figure out just how much more you could spend when you saw them-- the most perfect pair of light blue acid-washed jeans you’d ever seen. If they hadn't been exactly Lance’s size, you would have considered buying and tailoring them for yourself. At this point, you figured you could stop but you still had three bucks left and the shoe aisle was calling to you. ”Oh, well aren’t you perfect,” you mumbled to yourself as you found a pair of boots, a pair of knockoff Doc Martens, that looked exactly like a pair Lance had loved before they wore out not long ago. One of the ladies called you over and you obliged her, you wouldn’t ring anything up until after Lance had tried everything on just to make sure everything fit right, but you had no problem with chatting with her until Lance had finished. 

“Oh, dear, I think it’s so cute that your boyfriend and you are doing that-- what do they call it Maggie?” 

“Goodwill Date Night, love.” 

“Yes, thank you hon. I think it’s so cute that your boyfriend and you are doing that Goodwill Date Night and at our humble shop no less!” 

You squeaked, trying to shake your hands to tell her, no, but they were full. “We aren’t, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my best friend, I just thought it would be a fun thing to do. It’s not like that, Ruth.” 

She giggled to herself. “Alright, dear whatever you say.” She turned to Maggie and they talked like two schoolgirls sharing in delightful gossip. You sighed, walking over to the dressing room where you and Lance planned to meet, it was as you walked there that you found on a rack of hats a grey and white striped beanie. It was still a little chilly out so it wouldn’t be terrible to wear temperature-wise, and it polished off your ten bucks leaving you with no more than measly chump change. 

A few minutes later Lance joined you, he was grinning but it didn’t meet his eyes. Something was wrong. “Lance are you ok-” 

“Here you are! Oh are these for me, you shouldn’t have!” He took the bundle of clothes from you like a child on Christmas, and yet it didn’t feel right. He had just cut your sentence off, something he never did. Just as you were about to comment on it, he bounded over to the dressing room. Worry gnawed at you, but there wasn't much you could do with him in the dressing room. Instead, you took your clothes and went into the dressing room next door to Lance to get changed. It was the perfect outfit, you’d expected no less, of course. The jacket he threw in fit you like a glove, and it was just light enough that you knew you wouldn’t overheat. The cute pair of shoes he'd picked out for you somehow even managed to be comfy! 

“You ready?” 

“You know it!” Both of you left your respective dressing rooms. 

“Yay! The jacket fits! You’re out here looking like a full course meal, Lancy.” You spoke playfully, though you meant every word. He didn’t respond, and you looked up at him to see he looked, well, starstruck. He seemed to realize you caught him and he shook himself out of it. 

Yet, when he spoke his voice still had certain awe to it. “You look, you look stunning, (N/n).” Your eyes widened for a moment before you broke your gaze from his, refusing to make eye contact, afraid that if you did you would do or say something to tarnish your friendship, but god, if you didn’t want to kiss his beautiful face right now. 

\- 

Lance continued to be strange throughout the rest of the evening, although he agreed to keep by your side for the rest of the day as he’d originally told you. Keeping up with the theme of spontaneity, you decided to try another thing you’d always wanted to do but never had the guts to ask Lance on a real date to do it. So a should-have-been date was now a platonic outing with your best friend, even if you still really wished it was a date. So after adorning your new outfits, you began your “penny date”, a concept where one person chooses a number between ten and twenty, symbolizing how many times a penny is flipped, heads for right and tails for left. The penny is flipped when you arrive at a junction and by the time you run out of flips, you have to find something for a “date” at the location. Although Lance was still being weird and a little distant, much to your growing concern, he did seem to enjoy the idea. The game had led you to a little arcade where you and Lance spent the rest of the night playing various retro games and ate more pizza than you’d like to admit. 

“It’s getting late, should we turn in?” You two were in an uninhabited corner of the arcade, not that there were many people, to begin with. 

“Mmm, maybe. Just a few more games?” You gave him your best puppy dog eyes, instead of laughing or play arguing like he usually did, he looked away, and you swear you could see the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks. 

“Yeah, we can stay a little longer.” You took his hand, it would eat at you forever if you didn’t find out what was bothering him. His head snapped up, eyes fixing on your intertwined hands. 

“Lance, please, I know something is wrong. You’ve been acting off since the thrift shop. I thought maybe I was imagining things, but I don’t think I was. You can talk to me, you know? Did I do something to upset you?” His other hand had come up to hold your cheek tenderly. 

“No, no you didn’t-- I’m the one that messed up.” 

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He shook his head sadly. 

“I did.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“(Y/n).” Was it just you or was he leaning closer as he spoke? “It’s because.” Your eyes started to flutter shut, he was going to kiss you! “I like-” 

“Sorry to interrupt but we’re closing. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Lance and you shot apart as if you’d been burned. 

\- 

That had been almost a week ago. That night the drive home had been filled with a suffocating awkward silence. Since then it was like Lance had been avoiding you. Honestly, at this point, you didn’t know what to do. Your friends had even begun to notice your mopey behavior. A knock sounded at your bedroom door; you had yet to get out of bed today and you weren’t about to now. Whoever it was could just go away. When no other knock came you thought whoever it was had left, and then the door opened. If you had the energy to you’d groan in exasperation. “Oh, (N/n).” The hint of anger you had harbored at the intruder melted away as your friend Hunk sat beside you on the bed. “When was the last time you got up?” You shrugged as best you could while lying face down. “What happened? Did you and Lance have a fight?” His comment made you wonder if Lance was being weird with the others. You supposed it was if Hunk thought you had fought. You shook your head. He got up and you assumed your noncommital attitude had run him off too, but a moment later you felt him sit again. He began brushing your hair and despite your whines, you settled down quickly. It felt nice and you were sure you needed it. He hummed, filling the mocking silence with warmth. “Can you sit up? If not that’s okay, it would just be easier to braid it if you were sitting.” 

“Oh?” 

“Can you go meet Pidge at the library, she needs back her copy of some textbook. I don’t remember which one, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck like he did whenever he was embarrassed. 

“Oh, um, sure.” You wanted to ask how the fixing was going but you didn’t want to seem pushy. Besides, you could always ask him when you got back, you guess. 

\- 

You got to the library which was thankfully only a short jog away from the parking lot. You pulled out your phone to shoot her a text asking where she was when you didn’t automatically see Pidge. Almost instantly you got a message telling you that she was in a study room. You smiled knowingly, it was typical of Pidge to reserve a study room all to herself for days on end. You trekked that way, keeping an eye out for the room number she said she would be in. It was at the end of the hall. “Hey, sorry for keeping your textbook for so lo-- Lance?” Lance was reclining in one of the chairs; he had almost fallen when you entered. 

“(Y/n), what are you doing here?” 

“I’m meeting Pidge, to return her textbook. What are you doing here?” 

“I’m meeting Hunk, he wanted to try out a new recipe and said he was coming from the culinary building.” Your eyebrow furrowed. What was he talking about? Hunk was at home. It registered then, a light-bulb moment indeed. You’d been had. You turned to leave, but the doors slammed in your face, Pidge’s voice calling out from behind it. 

“Sorry, (N/n), I had to do it to ya.” She snorted at her own meme reference. “You guys need to talk through things. I am not spending another second watching you two lovesick fools mope because you each think you ruined your friendship.” You flustered, she really was just gonna expose you like that. 

“Pidge, you can’t just lock us in here-” Lance was beside you now, banging on the door. 

“Actually I can, and I did. I’ll be back in an hour.” True to her word, Pidge’s footsteps faded away despite Lance and your protests. 

You slumped at the door while Lance paced the room like a caged tiger. Watching him stabbed at your heart until you’d curled in on yourself, fighting off a fresh wave of tears. Did he hate being around you that much? What had you done? Lance noticed your disposition, his concern quickly switching from the situation to you. Within moments he was at your side. You were so confused, for a week now he’d been acting like he wanted nothing to do with you and now he was at your side trying to console you. You must have said that out loud since Lance has stopped all of his ministrations to eye you with guilt. “(N/n)-” 

“Lance, can’t you just talk to me? We’ve been best friends since pre-K, but it’s like you want nothing to do with me.” 

“It’s not that, I swear to you. It’s… It’s actually the opposite.” 

“What?” 

“I’ve crushed on you for years, honestly at this point, I’m pretty sure what I feel for you is more than a crush. Back at the thrift shop that day I heard you talking with the shop owners. You made it pretty clear my feelings aren’t reciprocated.” 

“You like me?” 

“Yeah, and I almost kissed you and ruined our friendship and I haven’t been able to face you because I know you just see us as friends, and I don't want to ruin that, but I just-- I can’t want that. Not anymore. I want to go on silly dates with you like that and wake up next to you and hold you and kiss you and just be able to know that I’m not an idiot for falling in love with my best friend-- I… I’m sorry.” He turned away from you, mortified at spilling his heart out. 

“Lance.” You took his hand, but he still refused to look at you. “Lancy.” Your voice was soft, tender even. “I like you too. I have for a long time, like a really long time. Why do you think I took you out on that excursion. I mean jeez, I haven’t exactly been subtle.” 

“But you told the ladies-” 

“I was flustered and to be fair we weren’t dating.” He looked even more embarrassed if that was even possible. 

“I am so sorry.” 

You shook your head. “You have no reason to be. We could have handled that better sure, but,” you shrugged, “everything turned out right in the end. I guess we owe Hunk and Pidge our thanks. Although I do wonder how he found out about the thrift shop...” 

“I may have told him my woes.” You chortled at his embarrassed mumble. You wiped away a tear from laughing to see Lance holding open the arm that wasn’t occupied by your hand. You practically flew into his arms. You stayed cuddled in each other's arms like that for a good long while after all Pidge said she was going back in an hour. 

Bonus: 

That night, Lance had taken to cuddling you in your bed. You’d been joined at the hip since that afternoon when Pidge had come to free you. Your friends were happy to have you both happy again and were quick to remind you that you owed them, although they were mostly jesting. You didn't mind much either way. Lance was officially your boyfriend, your greatest wish come true. At the moment he was almost asleep, happily tucked in with you when you spoke. “Wait so you mean to tell me that we could have been together for a lot longer?” 

“Well, damn.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> could you do a lance/ female reader with the prompt/senario "We've been best friends since pre-K, and now we're in college but things seem off, and I'm sad because I've crushed on you for years, oh damn you like me too?" kinda thing?? Best friends to lovers (while being pining idiots) is my jam


End file.
